Flanders Heritage Library

Flanders Heritage Library is a network organisation established by six heritage libraries in Flanders (Belgium). Through projects and research, we aim to develop competence and spread knowledge about preserving heritage library collections and making them accessible. Additionally, we wish to raise public awareness about the riches of heritage library collections in Flanders and Brussels.

A library’s assets are described in a catalogue
according to strict rules. This used to be done on
index cards kept in special cabinets. Today, online
catalogues are used, allowing readers to locate
publications from home.

Important, vulnerable or frequently used titles are
digitised to protect them and make them more
available. Originals no longer need to be manipulated
and digital copies can be accessed globally via the
internet. Automatic character recognition allows
‘paper’ text to be searched.

Collectors often paste or stamp an ex libris with
their name and a figurative, emblematic image in
their books. Such provenance marks are also found
in historical books and serve as a primary source for
researchers of the reading cultures of the past.

Printed books are made up of quires, which can have
varying formats. The largest ‘folio’ format consist of
four pages. It is created by folding a sheet of paper
once. An additional fold results in a ‘quarto’ format of
eight pages and a third fold in an ‘octavo’ format of
sixteen pages.

Books used to be bound in leather or parchment. The
binding was sometimes tooled, using gold leaf to give
books their characteristic sparkle. Contemporary book
binders use gold tooling rather creatively.

In the Middle Ages, all books were manuscripts.
Texts were written and copied by hand, usually on
parchment. From coloured initials to highly detailed
miniatures: the variety of the illuminations knows
no bounds. As a result, each manuscript is a unique
object.

Japanese paper is made from fibres of the mulberry
tree. It is very durable and nearly invisible when
applied to a light background. That makes it ideal for
restoring tears and holes in paper documents.

Old, valuable or fragile books are consulted on a
special pillow to protect the spine and the binding
from harm. A book weight (or ‘snake’) ensures that
the book remains open on the desired page without
crushing the spine.

Rare books and other valuable historical documents
are not stored on open access shelves. Heritage
collections are held in closed stacks and special
vaults. To utilise the available space efficiently, mobile
shelving is used.

Heritage libraries house a wealth of historic
documents for researchers to consult. They also offer
the necessary reference works in their reading room,
an environment that often combines business with
pleasure.

Everyone should be able to get acquainted
with special library collections. To facilitate this,
dissemination efforts do not stop at cataloguing these
collections. They are also made visible and accessible
via exhibitions, online repositories, lectures and other
initiatives for the public at large.

Special collection items in libraries are at risk of
all sorts of damage: from water and fire, from
fluctuations in light or temperature, and also from
dust, pests or frequent use. With the right measures in
place, damage is prevented and curative actions can
be avoided.

A calamity can cause documents to become damp,
making them prone to moulding. To stop mould
growth and to prevent spread to other parts of the
collection, the affected items are placed in quarantine
until treated.

Readers are not always handed the authentic
document. Fragile newspapers, for example, are less
and less consulted in paper form. Microfilm copies and
digital renditions serve as a substitute. To help protect
the originals, libraries also provide reproductions of
valuable manuscripts and rare books.

In a heritage library, the storage location of a
document is determined by its dimensions and the
special care it may need. Each item receives its own
‘signature’ or shelf mark. This combination of letters,
numbers or other symbols allows library assistants to
easily retrieve works from the stacks.

Typography is a synonym for printing with movable
type, but it can also refer to page design. The setting
of balanced and attractive pages is a trade by itself, as
is the application of suitable type faces. This used to
be the domain of the compositor or type setter. Today,
graphic designers take on this role.

Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, books
were usually sold unbound. It was up to the buyer to
approach an artisan binder. From 1800 on, publishers
began to determine how bindings were executed. They
started to tailor the cover design to the content of
the book.

In the nineteenth and twentieth century, paper was
made mainly from wood pulp. This kind of paper
deteriorates rather fast. Transferring documents
to microfilm or digital formats helps preserve
the information they hold. The originals must be
protected from environmental factors that speed up
the decay.

For a long time, paper was made by hand. When
holding such paper to the light, the typical chain lines
made by the woven copper wires from the mould or
‘deckle’ are clearly visible. A watermark is found in the
centre of the sheet. The figure usually referred to the
mill where the paper was made.

Much of tomorrow’s heritage, like e-books and
electronic journals, is no longer published on paper
but in digital formats only. The rapid evolution of ICT
turns the long term preservation of ‘e-heritage’ into a
serious challenge. System-independent formats like
XML help ensure the future legibility of information.

From the Middle Ages into the twentieth century,
documents were written in iron gall ink. This acidic ink
gradually eats its way through the paper. Ink corrosion
treatment can slow down the decay, but cannot
prevent it entirely.

Heritage libraries care for our printed, written
and digital heritage. Through their efforts, these
literary, cultural and academic collections are made
accessible for today’s readers and preserved for future
generations.

Flandrica.be is a treasure trove of books, manuscripts and periodicals from heritage libraries in Flanders. Get inspired by historical documents that were once hard to come by, but are at your fingertips today. These fascinating sources allow you to share in centuries of wisdom and to enjoy the stories of yesteryear.